Forget Rodrygo: 'Highly rated' Liverpool target who wants Anfield move should be next signing
Liverpool aren’t finished in the transfer window yet and are waiting to pull the trigger on a flying winger.
Liverpool continue to fine tune their Premier League winning squad with Arne Slot looking to put his foot down on the throats of his title rivals.
Steven Gerrard urged his old team to make hay whilst they sun shines and the Reds legend must be ecstatic with what he has seen so far with the record signing of Florian Wirtz and the announcement of Hugo Ekitike who arrives from Eintracht Frankfurt for £78m. Rumours that Alexander Isak is still a target refuse to go away too, they couldn’t, could they?
As well as needing a new centre-half with a take it or leave it £40m open offer for Marc Guehi said to be on the table, Liverpool need more depth in the attack. Federico Chiesa looks set to return to Italy and Bayern Munich continue to be linked with Luis Diaz. With two years left on the Colombian’s contract, now might be the time to sell if his wage demands for a new deal are too steep.
Liverpool waiting to pounce for Malick Fofana
There are two names doing the rounds in terms of potential replacements with the most notable being an interest in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo with an update on the Reds monitoring Malick Fofana by Belgian journalist Sacha Tovolieri:
“Liverpool FC remains on standby for Malick Fofana. As soon as Federico Chiesa’s departure to Serie A is finalised, the Reds are expected to move for the Belgian, who is highly rated by the scouting department.”
Rodrygo is clearly a frustrated figure having barely kicked a ball for Madrid in the Club World Cup with Xabi Alonso tinkering with his formation and the Brazilian dropping even further down the pecking order. The 24-year old has gone from being one of the first names on the team sheet to sometimes not even getting off the bench after the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.
He has the elite level experience, the numbers and the quality to be a success at Anfield, however, he would also be demanding the sort of salary that would make him one of the highest earners at the club.
Who should Liverpool buy: Fofana or Rodrygo?
And this is why Fofana would be the better option. Not only would he be cheaper in terms of transfer fee – in the region of £40m - his salary would also be considerably lower given that his Lyon pay-packet is around £15,000 per week at the moment. With Cody Gakpo already in the squad, Fofana could be the perfect rotational option to allow him to settle into the Premier League.
The other reason, is that Fofana wants to play for Liverpool. Bobo Fofana, the Lyon winger’s agent, told Africafoot: "The choice of heart would be Liverpool. He has the potential to enter the rotation, and above all, we would like to see him succeed African legends such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and El Hadji Diouf.”